


The Ditto Showdown!

by orphan_account



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Comedy, Friendship, Romance, Team Rocket - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-06-13 13:04:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15365286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: When Mondo of Team Rocket and Duplica of the House of Imite decide to have a Pokemon battle with their two Dittos, unexpected things happen. Will everyone's favorite behind-the-scenes Team Rocket member be able to take down the queen of pretending to be someone she is not?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: 
> 
> Pokemon is the property of the Pokemon Company, the WB, Nintendo, Game Freak, and whoever else actually owns the rights to it. 
> 
> If you know how I could get my stories officially licensed, please contact me, though! 
> 
> __________________________________--
> 
> Author's Note: 
> 
> In the anime, it's possible that our favorite behind the scenes Team Rocket member made an appearance as Christopher. I'm not going with the anime on this one, though, and, even though Christopher looked very similar to Mondo and had the same general adoration for the trio, I'm instead assuming that Mondo and Christopher are two different people. I may also sometimes have Mondo refer to himself by a Westernization of his name--"Billy," as in "Billy, the kid," as I've heard that it is a suitable Westernization. If you disagree, however, and think there's a better Westernized version of his name, I'm open to suggestions. 
> 
> Also, I'm not super-excited about the Domino / Mondo pairing, but it seems to be a popular pairing, and I guess it could happen, seeing as Mondo does have a crush on Jessie in the radio drama, so I could see him trying to date some of the more powerful women of Team Rocket to move up the ladder, maybe. Plus, she does look close to his age.

Mondo was really excited. He had gotten Domino to pull some strings and now he was actually going on a mission with Team Rocket like a real agent, not just an errand boy. The helicopter ride had been exhilarating, but now he was hungry and wanted take out. 

"Hey, there's a place. Of course, you're buying!" Domino said. 

"Of course," Mondo said. 

 _Jessie and James' Noodle Restaurant?_ Mondo read the sign and was instantly taken back. 

 _That reminds me of my...friends...from Kanto. I wonder how they're doing now that they're gone to another island._ Mondo thought as he continued to stare at the sign. 

"Hey! Food's inside!" Domino shouted. 

"Oh, of course. Coming!" Mondo said politely as he followed Domino into the restaurant. 

Once Mondo crossed the threshold into the restaurant, he really had some things to ponder. The color scheme reminded him of Jessie and James' hair color, and there was a picture of a Meowth standing on two legs and making noodles. Mondo did what he could to keep his mouth from hanging open. 

Domino either didn't notice, or pretended not to notice. 

"Hey! What's wrong? Have you never been to a restaurant before?" Domino asked. 

"I wanted takeout, to be honest," Mondo said sheepishly. 

"Calm down; this'll be fun," Domino said, with a glint in her eye. 

Mondo sat nervously in the booth. They weren't wearing their Team Rocket uniforms. Domino was wearing jeans and a T-shirt with her blonde hair curled in wavy locks that draped over her shoulders. Mondo was wearing jeans, a plain white T-shirt. 

Domino took the menu and eagerly scanned her options. Mondo did the same. 

_The Blast off Special..._

_Double Trouble Meal..._

As Mondo continued to read, he got more and more suspicious about who the owners of this restaurant might be.

"Hey do you notice something odd about this menu?" Domino asked in a whisper. 

"Maybe this restaurant is, um, owned by one of our bases?" Mondo suggested.

"I have maps of all of our secret bases, though, and...this place isn't anywhere on it..." Domino whispered.

Mondo started nervously whistling. 

A waiter approached the table. 

"Is anything wrong?" 

"No, everything's fine..." Mondo said nervously. 

"Actually, I would like to speak with the manager," Domino said. 

"Right away," the waiter said. 

"Oh, and waiter?" Domino said. 

The waiter turned around to face Domino and Mondo. 

"Tell him to make it Rocket fast!" Domino ordered. 

"Oh, certainly!" the waiter said as he dashed off to find the manager. 

Five minutes later, a brown haired man who couldn't have been older than his early twenties stepped in front of Mondo and Domino's table. Mondo studied the man; he looked like a taller older version of himself.  

"Yes, I'm Christoper the manager. How may I help you?" the man asked. 

"I want an everything sundae with extra everything," Domino said.

"I'll just take the check..." Mondo whispered, sweating nervously.  

The manager wrote down the order, and then stopped. 

"I'm afraid we don't have anything like that..." Christopher said cautiously.

"Would it mean anything to you if I told you make it Rocket fast?" Domino asked, scowling at the manager and tapping her fingers on the table. 

"We...make our food as fast as we can, I'm afraid," Christopher said nervously. 

Domino sighed. 

"Then I think you'd better prepare for trouble," Domino whispered to the manager. There was silence from Mondo. She motioned to Mondo to help her out. 

"Oh, yeah! and make it double..." Mondo continued. 

 _I can't believe it. I'm actually getting to say it. This is so exciting!_ Mondo thought. 

"I think I finally know who you are!" the Christopher shouted. Everyone in the restaurant turned to look at their table.

"It's about time!" Domino yelled.   

"Uh...come with me!" the manager shouted. 

Domino and Mondo looked at him in utter bewilderment before being quickly pulled into another room. 

"You must be friends of Jessie and James!" Christopher exclaimed with glee. There were almost little hearts in his eyes.

Domino nearly lost her balance and fell over.  

"Actually, yeah!" Mondo said quietly, as he helped her off of the floor. 

Domino gave him a disappointed look and took her seat. 

"Nope, never heard of 'em," Domino said. 

"Domino!" Mondo protested. 

 "Then, that would mean that you're...Team Rocket agents?" the manager asked with a gulp and a shudder. 

"Bingo," Domino said. 

"But, for the record, we are also good friends with Jessie and James," Mondo added, finally getting the courage to speak loudly enough for the manager to hear him. 

"Correction...he's good friends with them. Like I said, I don't know 'em," Domino said. 

"Domino!" Mondo said. 

"What? I only acknowledge competent members of the team. From what you've told me, they're nowhere near it," Domino quipped in a whisper. 

Christoper was trying to figure out what to do. 

"Look, I don't want any trouble..." Christopher said. 

"Then, you really shouldn't have included code words on your menu items. What if someone gets confused and thinks this is a secret base?" Domino said. 

"To be honest? I never thought about that," the manager said. 

"Look, we know that Tweedle Diva and Tweedle Dumber are probably the ones who talked you into this, so just rename your menu items to something that isn't obviously Team Rocket related, please, and also, get me a diet coke," Domino said. 

"I would be happy to not compromise the security of other agents, but I will kindly request that you not refer to the greatest people I've ever met with such brazen disrespect," Christopher growled. 

Domino scoffed and rolled her eyes. 

"Did...did I just hear what I thought I heard? Messy and Lames...the greatest people you've...ever...ever met? Wow, you don't get out too often, do you?" Domino quipped. 

Mondo winced. 

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave," the manager said. 

Domino stopped laughing and tilted her head back. 

"Relax. We know you made a mistake; nothing to worry about," Domino said, irreverently. 

Mondo carefully glanced at the manager's face and winced at he death glare Christopher was giving her. Slowly, Mondo got up and headed toward the door. 

"Where are you going?" Domino asked. 

"You didn't hear him?" Mondo asked. 

"Leave now or I'll throw you out!" the manager growled, taking out a Poke Ball. 

"Excuse me? Are you really talking to _me_ like _that_?" Domino asked. 

The manager just stood in a battle stance and scowled at the two. 

Mondo quickly grabbed her hand and forcibly tried to head toward the exit.

"Ow!" Domino shouted. 

"Go, Machoke!" the manager commanded. 

Mondo started shaking. 

"Okay, we're leaving already," Mondo shouted, attempting to pick up the pace.

Domino just started laughing and tried to dig her heels into the ground to stop Mondo from dragging her. 

"Are you crazy?" Mondo asked. 

"Watch this," Domino whispered as she grabbed for her tulip shaped weapon. Not wanting any trouble, Mondo snatched it out of her hand. 

"Hey!" Domino yelled. 

"We shouldn't draw any more attention to ourselves than necessary," Mondo said. 

"Come on, it would have been self-defense..." Domino said weakly. 

It didn't take long for the Machoke to catch up to the two teens. With one quick movement, they were both hanging over his back. 

"Put us down!" Domino yelled. 

"Machoke! Machoke!" the Pokemon grow led as it forcibly sat her on the hard concrete. 

It continued to hold Mondo, though. 

Domino pulled herself up in time to see Mondo being dragged back toward the restaurant. Domino recovered from the temporary indignity and brushed herself off. 

 _I'm going for pizza, and I'm also going to request this man's restaurant be shut down, permanently._ Domino thought. 

* * *

 

Meanwhile, back at the restaurant. Machoke carried Mondo back to the little office where the manager spent most of his day and carefully sat Mondo down. 

"Great work, Machoke!" the Christopher said as he recalled his Pokemon. 

Mondo fidgeted nervously. 

Christopher turned his attention to Mondo and bowed. 

"Oh, please forgive me for my earlier rudeness, but I can't stand it when someone makes fun of them!" Christopher said. 

"No...problem..." Mondo said nervously. 

"...if it wasn't for them, I probably would still be wasting my life as a Team Rocket grunt..." Christopher said. 

"I...I know how you feel. If it wasn't for them, I probably would've been kicked off of Team Rocket. They always stood up for me. They made the place bearable. Without them I would be stuck with people like..." Mondo said. Domino's face briefly flashed in his mind. 

"It's been years since I've seen them. They briefly stopped by my restaurant. Their Meowth worked as one of chefs briefly," Christopher began. 

"Meowth is a Pokemon of many talents," Mondo said, nervously eyeing the swaying shadows the one light hanging overhead cast upon the dim room. He tugged at his shirt and wiped away a few drops of sweat. 

"Tell me about it!" Christopher said. 

Christopher eyed Mondo and studied his nervous look. 

"When's the last time you've seen them?" 

"A few months ago, actually," Mondo said. 

Upon hearing that, Christopher's eyes lit up. Quickly, he slid out of his office chair and took Mondo by the shoulder. 

"Come on, let's go into VIP dining room. It's more comfortable than my office. You can catch me up on all of the new adventures my friends have had!" Christopher said excitedly.   

"What about your customers?" Mondo asked timidly. 

"The chef can serve them. Right now, you're the most important customer I have!" Christopher said. 

  

* * *

 

 Mondo soon found himself in the VIP dining room. There was already a feast prepared. Mondo wasn't sure if it was for him, so he opted to sit in an unoccupied chair in the corner. Mondo heard the door slam as Christopher entered the room. 

"Hey, what are you doing all the way over there? Come on. Have a seat. My chef has prepared some of the best things on the menu!" Christopher shouted. 

"For...me?" Mondo asked, pointing at himself. 

"Who else? If it's not to your liking, I will gladly have my chefs prepare something else," Christopher said. 

"No, it's fine, it's just that...I might not be able to afford to pay for it..." Mondo said sheepishly. 

"It's on the house! Well, really it's in exchange for more stories about Jessie and James," Christopher said excitedly. 

"Okay...I'll do my best to tell you what I know..." Mondo said nervously, while brushing sweat off of his forehead. 

 _Let's see...where do I start?_ Mondo asked himself _._

Mondo decided to settle on the story of his most recent encounter with the trio. 

"Well, you see, there's this trainer and performer in Kanto by the name of Duplica, and she has some very special Dittos that Jessie and James wanted to borrow," Mondo begain. 

As Mondo continued to tell the story of Jessie and James' superb disguises and perfect timing when meeting the impression artist, Christopher's eyes became starry with amazement; he looked like he was hanging on Mondo's every word. A few times, he wiped his lips to keep himself from drooling over the clever schemes the trio came up with. 

 _See? They were even going to give the Ditto back to her. They really are one of a kind._  Christopher said to himself. 

Christopher sighed to himself when he heard the anti-climatic ending. They were sent airborne by not one but three Pikachus, courtesy of the imitation artist's Dittos. 

Mondo smiled. 

"Yeah, but this time there was a little more to the story..." 

* * *

 

Mondo began replaying the whole scene in his head as he explained it to Christopher. 

"Understandably, I was really upset, and this time I decided to help them. I put on some civilian clothes and stole away to Duplica's House of Imite the next morning..." 

Mondo was really unhappy with this Duplica girl Jessie and James told him about. After all, all they wanted to do was borrow her Ditto. She should have been honored to have her common Pokemon considered for the grand plans of his mentors. At least that was the way he was looking at it. 

With a little trepidation, he approached the abandoned looking House of Imite's door and gave it a firm knock. 

A girl with aqua marine hair answered. 

"Hello? May I...help you?" the girl asked. 

"I'm looking for Duplica," Mondo said. 

"You're looking _at_ Duplica," Duplica said with a smile. 

"Oh, hello. My name's Billy," Mondo said, a little too nervous to really think straight. 

"Well, Billy, what can I do for you?" Duplica asked. 

"Oh, yeah, I want to challenge you to a one-on-one Pokemon battle," Mondo said without really thinking about his proposal. 

"Oh, how did you hear about me?" Duplica asked. 

"I was...um...at...the....contest?" Mondo said, his voice cracking with nervousness. 

"Oh! Okay, so you're a fan of my work?" Duplica asked. 

"You...could say that..." Mondo stuttered nervously. 

With that, Duplica pulled off what looked like a base ball cap. It promptly transformed into her Pokemon Ditto. 

"Very well; I accept!" Duplica said. 

"Ditto!" her Ditto said. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

"You actually challenged her to a Pokemon battle for beating up our friends? What happened next?" Christopher asked, like an excited child waiting for ice cream. 

Mondo smiled nervously. 

"I'm getting to that part, hold on," Mondo said.

Mondo leaned back in his seat and continued his flashback as he told the story  

* * *

 

"Okay, one-on-one Pokemon battle; no cheating," Duplica said. 

"Um...why would I...cheat?" Mondo asked. 

"I didn't say you would; I was just going over the rules," Duplica said, giving him a puzzled look. Her expression said that something wasn't right. The more Mondo studied her facial expression, the more nervous he became. 

"Anyway, one on one battle, any questions?" Duplica asked sweetly. 

Mondo shook his head and readied his Poke Ball. 

"Okay, go Ditto...transform into whatever his Pokemon is going to be!" Duplica yelled. 

"Alright, go, Ditto! This is going to be great!" Mondo said. 

As the two Dittos faced each other, Duplica gave Mondo a puzzled look. 

"Time out!" Duplica yelled. 

"What's...wrong?" Mondo asked. 

"You do realize that no one is going to win this match, right?" Duplica asked. 

"Oh, I don't know about that. Ditto, transform into...." Mondo paused and put his hand on his chin. 

"Charmander!" Mondo said. 

The pink Pokemon tried to obey its trainer's orders but ended up turning into Squirtle instead. 

"Huh?" Duplica said, wide eyed and genuinely shocked that his Pokemon was able to do that.

"Oh no, Ditto, not again..." Mondo said, a small hint of frustration in his voice. 

Duplica just stood there looking at him with her mouth hanging open. 

"You...can't do  _that?_ " Duplica finally said. 

"Sorry...is there anything wrong...did I...break...some kind of rule?" Mondo asked, nervously. 

"No, I mean you can't do that; it...it should be impossible." Duplica asked in shock. 

"I'm...really sorry if I broke some kind of rule...I didn't...do it on purpose...should I have Ditto change back?" Mondo asked. 

"No...it's fine...weird, but fine...How did you..." Duplica asked. 

Mondo just shrugged and gave a nervous laugh. 

"Just lucky...I guess?" Mondo said, not really sure what the big deal was. 

"So, let's continue the battle...what's your Pokemon going to transform into?" Mondo asked. 

"Heh...heh...see what your Ditto did was pretty special. Normally Dittos can't transform into Pokemon if the Pokemon they are turning into isn't close enough for them to see them...I thought this battle was going to be pretty boring, but you sure proved me wrong..." Duplica said nervously. 

"Oh, then can...we...continue the battle?" Mondo asked nervously. 

"Sure..." Duplica said cautiously. 

"Ditto, transform!" Duplica commanded, hoping that maybe just maybe Ditto would be able to do it. 

Her Pokemon started glowing bright white and forming into a shape. Duplica watched with nervous anticipation. The Pokemon then stopped glowing and resumed its pink amorphous form. 

"Dit?" her Pokemon asked. 

"Alright, Ditto, use water gun!" Mondo commanded. 

"Squirtle!" the Pokemon yelled as it rushed forward and rammed its head into the Ditto. 

Mondo laughed nervously and put his hand behind his head. 

"Um...that's skull bash, not water gun..." Mondo said. 

Duplica gave a nervous look as she recalled her fainted Ditto. 

"Well, looks like I lost this one! That's a pretty special Ditto you got there," Duplica said nervously. Something just wasn't right.

"You...think so? It usually just gets everything wrong..." Mondo said. 

"Well, even, so..." Duplica said.  

"My friends seem to think you have a special Ditto, too," Mondo said, "which is why I must insist that you allow us to borrow it." 

"Your...friends? Borrow Ditto? Just who are these friends of yours?" Duplica asked nervously. 

Mondo pulled out a picture of himself in his Team Rocket uniform with Jessie and James and handed it to Duplica. 

"Is _this_ some kind of a joke? If it is, I'm not finding it very funny," Duplica said. 

"No, no. I would never joke about things like this," Mondo said, trying to make his voice as sincere as possible. 

Duplica took the picture from him and studied it. 

"Hmm...Team Rocket, eh?" Duplica said while studying the picture giving a look of disgust.  

She held the picture up next to Mondo.

"Now that you mentioned it, I do see a resemblance..." Duplica said while slowly backing away. 

"Good. Now, will you please let us borrow your Pokemon?" Mondo asked.

"Absolutely...not!" Duplica said. 

 "But...I beat you..." Mondo said, "isn't that...the way it works?"

"Oh wow! What kind of Pokemon is that?" Duplica asked, pointing behind Mondo. Mondo turned to look, only to see nothing but a cluster of tall grass.

When he turned back, Ditto and Duplica had disappeared. 

 _Oh...great_. Mondo thought. 

* * *

 

 

Christopher sighed as Mondo finished his tale. 

"Well, I'm happy to know they're doing okay," Christopher said. 

"Yeah, I didn't succeed in getting the Ditto, though," Mondo said. 

"Well, you win some and you lose some..." Christopher said absentmindedly.

"It wasn't a total loss, though," Mondo said. 

"Turns out Meowth followed me and watched a good portion of the battle; he recommended me as an agent, and I'm finally going on my first mission," Mondo said. 

"Wow, well, I wish you luck. Take care of Jessie and James if you ever see them again," Christopher said. 

"I'm sure we'll cross paths soon," Mondo replied, "and thanks for the food," 

"Oh, no problem. It was an honor to help!" Christopher said.  

 "What's all of that noise outside?" Mondo asked. 

Carefully, they left the VIP room and approached the main part of the restaurant. 

Mondo and Christopher scanned the room. There was an Officer Jenny and a small crowd. 

"Excuse me, sir, are you the owner? May I have a word with you?" Officer Jenny asked. 

Christopher cautiously walked to the Officer Jenny. 

"Excuse me, is anything wrong?" Christopher asked. 

"This young lady has complained about the cleanliness of this establishment," Officer Jenny said. 

"There were Beautiflies in the soup and Kakuna hulls in the milkshakes!" Domino shrieked as she cried crocodile tears. 

"Sir, what kind of establishment are you running?" Jenny asked. 

"Really, ma'am. This is a clean restaurant. My customers never complain. I don't know what this young lady's problem is," Christopher said. 

"Oh...and then he used his big mean Machoke to throw me out of his restaurant," Domino whined. 

Christopher looked at Officer Jenny and Mondo looked at Christoper and glared at Domino. 

 _Outside, now!_ Mondo mouthed to Domino. 

Domino simply shrugged and crossed her arms. 

"Is any of this true?" Officer Jenny asked. 

Christopher smiled nervously. 

"Let me explain," Mondo began, "my date and I," Mondo said, motioning to Domino, "stopped here for a bite to eat, but she didn't like the food or the service. I, however, found it very pleasant and didn't have a problem with it," Mondo explained. 

The other customers piped up, too. 

"This is good food, and friendly service. If she has a problem with the food, it's her problem," one customer said. 

"Plus, does she have any proof the food's no good?" another customer asked. 

"Officer, I assure you, I follow all of the rules. My inspections are up to date...there's no reason anyone should suspect me of anything..." Christopher said. 

Domino kept up her scared customer act in front of Officer Jenny. 

"...and the names of some of these items...the Blast Off special...Double Trouble Meal...Rocket Bowl...they all...they all...seem like references to that horrible crime syndicate Team Rocket...what kind of honest restaurant would name their food after a group of bad guys?" Domino asked through crocodile tears. 

Mondo scowled at her. 

"I think you're findin similarities where there ain't none, lady. This is good!" another customer interrupted. 

"Is it true some of your menu items are named after Team Rocket? Is this secretly a base?" Officer Jenny asked. 

Christopher hung his head and walked toward the kitchen.  

"Where is that bad man going?" Domino asked. 

"I need to talk to you, outside," Mondo said to Domino. 

Mondo put his arm on Domino's shoulder and led her outside. 

"...and the academy award goes to..." Domino said with a flip of her hair. 

"I can't believe what you did," Mondo said. 

"That'll teach that guy to make an unofficial Team Rocket base," Domino said. 

"That restaurant was this guy's livlihood; doesn't that mean anything to you?" 

"After being thrown out for making fun of the most incompetent members we have? Not really," Domino quipped. 

"If you feel that way, maybe...maybe we shouldn't be dating!" Mondo said. 

"Yeah, maybe we shouldn't," Domino said, as she scowled at him and crossed her arms. 

Mondo walked away and walked back to the commotion inside of the restaurant. There was a line of police cars. Whatever Domino told them, it was being taken very seriously. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: 
> 
> That wasn't the best Duplica / Mondo encounter. I think I need to revise it heavily. I wanted to give Mondo the upper-hand this time, but I guess I should have kept Duplica in character.


End file.
